Led Zeppelin hate

[johnnYYac]

What are y'alls thoughts on the Zep getting sued by Spirit?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/05/20/314256004/led-zeppelin-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven-guitar-line

Seems fairly well deserved but years too late. They toured with Spirit prior to recording STH and would have heard that guitar segment repeatedly. Of course, Randy California might have preferred recognition while alive...

[Jaimoe]

What are y'alls thoughts on the Zep getting sued by Spirit?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/05/20/314256004/led-zeppelin-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven-guitar-line

Seems fairly well deserved but years too late. They toured with Spirit prior to recording STH and would have heard that guitar segment repeatedly. Of course, Randy California might have preferred recognition while alive...

It's his estate, so I doubt he would approve if alive.

[Ghosts_on_TV]

It's clearly similar, but they'll never win. It's not the same.

[davymac]

I think it's a bunch of malarkey!  It is undoubtedly very similar, but where is Spirit's kickass guitar solo?  I think the real issue is whether or not someone can own the rights to a chord progression/pick pattern since most all musicians draw inspiration from others. 

[johnnYYac]

I get the idea that there are a finite number of chords and, by extension and logic, chord progressions, melodies, beats, tempos, letters in the alphabet, words in the dictionary, etc.  However, LZ toured with Spirit prior to Stairway when Taurus was played often.  Perhaps Spirit and RC don't deserve royalties, but I bet they would have been cool with a small line in the LZ IV liner notes with a nod to the guitar riff intro, which I think is too obvious to ignore (starts at 0:44). 

http://youtu.be/jJUdnTKlP1E?t=44s

[Jaimoe]

I think it's a bunch of malarkey!  It is undoubtedly very similar, but where is Spirit's kickass guitar solo?  I think the real issue is whether or not someone can own the rights to a chord progression/pick pattern since most all musicians draw inspiration from others.

Guitar or any other type of solo don't qualify into songwriting credits, even though I can't imagine Blue Sky and Whipping Post minus Duane's solos.